Candidates for Sacrifice
by Rydia Asuka
Summary: Humans are such fickle creatures. If at first they don't succeed, they try, try again. No matter the consequences. When Al's blood seal is broken, a desperate Edward makes a foolish decision. It's up to a reluctant Roy to stop him...and to deal with the fall-out. Parental!Roy/EdAl
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA. All associated characters and settings are the property of Arakawa Hiromu. No copyright infringement is intended; no profit is being made.

* * *

"No, this wasn't—!"

"Ed— _no_!" Roy's cries echoed through the hollow basement, echoing off the cement walls and metal tables. The cold floor chilled his knees through his uniform pants as he lunged forward, catching Edward's left arm in a tight grasp—and only narrowly halting the transmutation the boy was millimetres from completing.

It took all of his strength for Roy to wrench Edward back and into his chest, so he could get both arms around him. The boy fought like a wild animal, actually _snarling_ as Roy strained to hold onto him. He barely managed.

"Let me go! Let me go, Colonel Bastard! Fuck you _LET ME GO_!"

"Ed, no!" he countered, feeling tears trickle from his own eyes. It was nothing on the furious sobs coming from Edward, though. How, Roy wondered distantly, had it come to this?

On the floor, just inches from them, sat a piece of Al's shattered blood seal.

* * *

"Fullmetal."

"Mustang."

Roy met the kid's eyes over his desk for a long minute, before Ed scoffed and looked away. "So, why am I here?"

"I have a lead."

That got the kid's attention. "Getting right to it for once, eh Mustang? So where are me'n'Al heading next?"

"Well, that's just it—this time, it's more like..."

"Don't beat around the bush, bastard."

"It's more like you and I, this time."

Ed hesitated, frowning. "Wait, what? You? And what about Al?"

Well, that was good, at least. Roy had been worried about more of an explosion. This was a pretty decent start. "It's the easiest way in. I've been invited to a...get together, of military personnel. The host is a researcher; a friend of a friend. I can get you in, but Al will have to find his own way in."

Ed grinned. "I think we can work something out. When is it?"

"Next week, in West City. We leave in four days, at o-eight-hundred hours. Al can come with us to the hotel, and then you two boys will have a day to figure out what you're doing."

"That's plenty of time. Thanks, Colonel!"

"Don't thank me. Just be on time—oh, and Edward? Bring your uniform."

That, at least, got a reaction.

* * *

It was Saturday morning, seven-fifty-seven in the morning, their train due to depart in three minutes...and still no Elrics. Roy bit back the overwhelming desire to pace, and instead stood, arms folded and foot tapping, outside the door to their cabin. As if having to share an overnight train to West City with the boys wasn't enough, but they couldn't even do him the courtesy of being on time. Whimsically, Roy recalled the, admittedly very short lived, days when Ed had jumped if he said toad.

...if only those days had stayed.

"You don't really want that, Sir."

Hawkeye's words startled Roy out of his fantasy of Ed, on time and in uniform, saluting him. With a sigh, he turned to her. How she always knew exactly what he was thinking...

"No, I don't," he admitted. He would much rather the two boys, whole and in the flesh, running off and...playing one of Resembool's pastures, or something. But that was not what he had, was it? He would do all he could to see it come true, though. Even if it meant taking the next train.

The sound of clanking armour drew Roy's attention further up the platform, where Al was running towards them. "Colonel Mustang! Sorry we're late! Brother—"

"Don't you _dare_ , Al!"

"—forgot where he'd put his uniform. We were trying to find it."

Edward groaned, mumbling something that sounded a bit like _traitor_ as the two boys pulled up beside himself and Riza. "Yeah, yeah, but we're here now. That's what matters, right?"

Roy sighed. "We'll address the issue of your lost uniform later, Fullmetal. For now, get on the train."

Edward groaned, but did as told, offering Riza a wave as he passed.

Al stopped to offer them both a short bow. "We really are very sorry to be late. Brother did manage to find his uniform, though." Small miracles. Somehow, Roy suspected Ed was not the one who had found it, though—or intended for it to be found.

"Good, now go ahead Alphonse. I'll be right behind you."

Nodding, the boy turned and headed up the steps just as the warning whistle blew. "Guess that's my call. Take care of things for me, Lieutenant. I'll be back soon."

"Yes, Sir. And you take of yourself, and those boys."

"I will," he promised, shooting her his most charming smile. "See you in a week."

She saluted as he climbed on the train, which he turned back to return as one of the station attendants came along to close and check the door. Shouldering his bag, Roy set off to find the boys.

It wasn't hard. Roy had rented an entire sleeper car for the trip, wanting relative privacy to discuss things with the boys. Inside the cabin, Roy noted the two had already made themselves comfortable. The modest table, set into the wall under the window, was covered in notes of all sorts, and the two were seated across from one another on the small benches. Despite his tiny stature, Edward had managed to sprawl across two seats, whereas Alphonse simply...needed two seats to fit.

Their beds, tiny bunks built into the wall and stacked three high, were on his right. Tossing his bag onto the bottom most bunk, Roy strode over to the table. "What's all this? No room for me?"

"No bastards at the table. Mom's rule," Ed retorted cleanly, attention hardly wavering from whatever he was reading.

"Need I remind you who paid for the car?"

"Nope," Ed replied, "just don't care."

"Brother," Al hissed, "be nice and move over."

"It's fine," Roy said, before an argument could start, "I'm going to go look for something to eat. You want anything, Ed?"

...he should have known better than to offer to feed Ed, Roy realised as he staggered back to the cabin, a horrendously overstuffed tray shaking in his hands. With a sigh, he managed to slide the door open with his foot, and entered the room, plopping the meal down on top of the boys' research notes.

"Breakfast!"

Well, at least Ed didn't seem to mind. Shoving the teen's legs off the bench, Roy plopped down and began helping himself—if he wasn't fast, he wouldn't get anything, after all.

"So what are you boys working on?" Roy asked, aiming his question at Alphonse.

Undisturbed by the meal, Al shrugged. "Brother looked into the place we're going—these are some blueprints. We're going to try and work out a way to sneak me in."

Something told Roy—but no. The brothers were a team. He could as soon tell water not to be wet as try to stop them from operating together.

"Here, show me. Maybe I can help." After all, it was better to try to make sure they were careful than to try to stop them.

By the time they made it to West City, Roy thought they had a pretty good plan in place.

He had never been so wrong.

* * *

"You h-have to let me—let me try! Colonel! His soul, i-it's—I know it! It's still—he's still there! You have to let me try!" Ed's voice was broken by sobs, his small body shaking in Roy's arms, even as he continued to fight. " _Colonel_!"

Roy felt his heart shatter. These boys had tried so hard, fought for so much—grown up way too fast. This wasn't right. They were supposed to _succeed_ , not...not this. Anything but this.

"I can save him, Colonel! Colonel!" Edward was shrieking still, flesh arm reaching pathetically for his brother's armour. "Please, I can do it again! I have—Truth can take my other arm, just _give Al's soul back to me_!"

"Edward! Ed! Stop! Stop it and listen to me!" Because Roy knew two things for certain: one, Ed had given up enough and two, this was Roy's fault anyway. "Listen—I'll do it." And wasn't this a supremely bad idea. "I will do it. Show me how."

Slowly, Ed turned to meet his gaze, his golden eyes full of pain. "...you?"

"Me," Roy agreed emphatically. Edward had already lost two limbs, Roy could...could spare one.

"No! This is our problem! Just let me do it!"

"No, Edward! This is a direct order from your superior! You will tell me what to do, and I will do the transmutation. I'm not releasing you until you agree." Roy felt bile rising in his throat. He needed Edward to agree, because they didn't have much time.

"O-okay. Fine! Just...just save Al!"

"That's a promise?"

Edward went limp, then, Roy's arms suddenly the only thing holding him up. "Yes. Just please...for Al."

Roy let him go, and after that, everything was a flurry of activity. Using his belt knife, Roy sliced his own palm. Under Ed's careful eye, they used the blood to draw a new blood seal on Alphonse's helmet.

With that part done, Roy stripped off his uniform jacket and shirt, leaving him bare-chested in the chilly air. He barely felt the cold, however, as adrenaline had his blood running hot. A thin trickle of sweat rolled down his back as Ed approached, showing him the circles to draw and explaining the meaning behind each mark.

Roy subconsciously realised just how _much_ of a prodigy the thirteen-year-old really was.

Four circles, one on his forehead, one on his chest, and one on each arm. Ed had done this without help, while bleeding from a missing limb.

"Mustang—"

He met Edward's eyes with a weak smirk—and touched the circle on his chest. The blood composing each circle lit up, and Roy knew no more.

* * *

The evening of the event was cool and crisp. In the hotel room, the weather was the farthest thing from Roy's mind, however.

"Stay still, Ed! Dammit, I can't do this with you running away!"

"Fine! Then just let me wear my regular clothes!"

"Come on, Fullmetal, you knew full well this was part of the deal! So buck up and deal with it!"

"Forget it! I'll just—"

Roy finally caught the teen and shoved him against the wall, pinning him there while he smoothed the uniform's lapel and fixed his collar.

"Dammit, Mustang!"

"A thank you would not be remise," Roy grumbled, frustrated, as he released Edward. "There, for once you look fit to be seen in public."

The hotel room did not, however, having been utterly trashes in their little scuffle. Blankets and pillows were strewn across the floor, the desk's chair was upended, and garbage had been kicked everywhere. Never mind the clothing, accessories, and even a shoe that were spread from window to door.

Al sniggered. "Looks good, Brother. You should wear blue more often."

"What, and look like Colonel Cinderfingers over there? Fat chance."

Roy sighed, ignoring the insult. Picking up Ed's pocket watch from the table, he tossed it to the boy. "Here, you'll need that."

Ed caught the watch and pocketed it. "Alright, I'm all dressed up," Ed complained, "now can we go?"

Was this what it was like, to have children? Oh sure, Maes was always saying how _great_ it was to have Elicia and Gracia, and while Roy was not against the idea of marrying, not really—

"Brother!"

"Ow!"

A loud crash sounded, making Roy wince. When he finally dared seek the source of the sound, he sighed. Loudly. Yes, kids were...wonderful.

"Come on, Fullmetal. Bed time isn't for hours, yet." With that derisive comment, he stepped over the dazed boy, laying flat on his back between the two beds. "We don't want to be late."

Some grumbling followed, along with the sound of Ed picking himself up off the floor. Roy did not so much as glance back as he left the room. Ed would follow, and Al would come a little later, once the party was under way. With that knowledge, Roy stepped out into the cold, and into the car waiting for them. Once Edward had climbed in alongside him, Roy nodded for the driver to set out.

* * *

The gathering was...incredibly dull, if Roy was entirely honest. Famed Alchemical researchers or not, these people were dry as bones—and they made their material to match. Oh, there was plenty to talk about, but there were ways to...make it interesting, weren't there? Even Ed looked—

He glanced around, at the clock, then swore. It was too early, and if the kid had abandoned him...!

"U-u-uh, um...well, I-I...that is..."

Roy raised a brow, finally spotting his subordinate surrounded by a group of other alchemists. Alchemists with fire in their eyes. Clearly, the famed child prodigy was a very interesting subject for these people. Well, let him stew a bit. It's what he deserved for abandoning Roy like that. He turned to walk away.

"M—Colonel! There you are!"

With a sigh, Roy turned back. "Ah, Fullmetal! I was wondering where you had disappeared to. You're so short I didn't see you there."

To Ed's credit, he managed to control his temper. Barely. "I'm certain these people would be very interested to hear from the famed _Flame Alchemist_."

Those hungry eyes turned on him.

Oh shit.

Roy did not miss how Edward made his break as the flock surrounded him, asking a thousand questions a second. Maybe he shouldn't have made that crack about Ed's height after all.

"Fullmetal, get back here!"

"I'll get us some punch!"

Yeah, the kid wasn't coming back.

* * *

It was hours later, when the party was starting to thin out, that Roy and Ed bid their farewells. Edward had slipped away, briefly, a few times, scouting out the lay of the house. He had managed to find the basement—and didn't everything bad happen in the basement? With that in mind, the two doubled back, sneaking back into the mansion.

It was almost laughably easy to navigate the halls, the house's occupants either passed out or too close to passing out to notice the intrusion. Exchanging a look with Ed, Roy tugged up the trapdoor, revealing steps leading down into darkness.

"I'll go first," Roy said, tugging on his gloves and taking the lantern they had filched from a wall sconce. At Edward's shrug, Roy swung over the edge and began climbing down.

The first thing to hit Roy was the stench, dried blood and excrement, as well as more than a hint of death. Wrinkling his nose, Roy landed on cement, boots crunching on the dirty floor. Pausing to listen, he determined it was clear for the moment.

"It's safe, Fullmetal," he whispered back up. A moment later, the sliver of light coming from above was cut off, and then Edward was descending.

With a snap of his fingers, Roy lit the lantern, raised it—and bit back a noise of horror. The basement was a warzone of its own type. Gleaming operating tables dominated the room, each shadowed by trays filled with instruments. The walls were lined with shelves, each filled with what Roy could only assume was formaldehyde and...organs.

In the corner sat a trash can, filled to overflowing with bloodied paper and...other waste. Glancing down at the floor, Roy also noted old blood stains ground into the cement. He pulled a face as Edward sidled up to his shoulder.

"Sheesh, that's..."

"There's a door," Roy said, cutting him off. "Let's try it."

Edward nodded, but before they had gotten ten steps, the door swung open. Immediately falling into a defensive stance, Roy barely noticed as Ed did the same. So much for a clean—

"Brother! Colonel!"

Roy relaxed.

"Alphonse!" Ed said, hurrying to his brother. "What?"

Alphonse looked down. "It's...animals. I looked in there already."

"Animals...Al, did you?" Ed demanded, tone strangely accusatory.

Alphonse shrugged his metal shoulders. "I just...opened the cages..."

Edward sighed. "Al!"

"What? They looked so helpless! I—"

Roy let them bicker, watching. The door, it was moving—

"Fullmetal!" Without a second thought, Roy dove forward, tackling Ed to the floor and shielding him from the lunging chimera that burst through the door. Already-bloodied talons tore through the air unnervingly close to Roy's ear.

"Great job, Al!" Ed snapped, disentangling himself from Roy's grasp. "You let out the chimeras?"

"No, I swear! I didn't touch its cage! Only the animals. Pigs, rats! I didn't!"

"Regardless," Roy muttered, tugging at his glove, "it's free. Let's just take it out before it makes too much noise."

"Alphonse!"

Roy hadn't noticed the second chimera enter. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Ed lunged forward, trying to get to Al. Roy caught his arm, tugging him back as the bear chimera barrelled fully into Al from behind. There was a crack, then a shattering of metal.

Al's armour dropped like a stone.

Roy didn't even feel himself drop to his knees, taking Ed with him. With a snarl of fearful rage, Edward wrenched free of Roy's grasp and lunged forward.

" _Alphonse_!"

* * *

 _I love writing for this fandom. I hope everyone can enjoy this fic as much as I love papa!Roy. Comments are my bread and butter._


	2. Chapter 2

Roy awakened to a swaying motion, his body feeling utterly weightless. Gradually, awareness came back—clanking, weightlessness, and metal. He was being carried, probably by Alph—

"Alphonse?" he all but yelled, jolting awkwardly upright and eyes flying open. It was pitch-black in the room, like somebody had turned out all the lights. That hardly mattered, however, because... "Alphonse, is that you?"

"I'm here, Colonel."

Roy let out the breath he had been holding. "Alphonse."

"Colonel?"

"Edward," he breathed a second time. "You're both okay?"

"We're fine, Colonel," Edward said softly. His voice sounded strained, hoarse. Like he had been yelling too much. "We're...fine."

"Thanks to you, Colonel!" Al chimed in. "Thank you very much for...for helping Brother save me."

"Don't...don't mention it, Al." Roy found himself distracted, taking stock of his own injuries. Or, trying to anyway. He couldn't feel anything that seemed off, but it was so dark—

"Can someone hit the lights?" he finally asked. "Or find my gloves."

"The lights? Colonel, we're outside," Al said softly.

"Yeah. It's a bit dim, but—"

Roy tuned out the rest of Ed's words. Outside. Now that they said that, he could feel the fresh air. One of them had put his jacket back on, but the breeze was tickling his cheeks softly. The smells and sounds matched the outdoors, as well, and the musty smell of the basement had disappeared.

"...dim, you said, Ed?"

"Yeah, like it's night, but there's streetlights and stuff."

Roy reached up, tentatively touching his own face, seeking for anything covering his eyes. While he had known nothing was there, only touching his face had really locked the slowly-forming realisation into his mind.

"Anyway, Colonel, you got lucky. Four limbs, apparently still a brain. Maybe Truth just made you dumber," Edward said with a soft laugh.

"Brother! Don't make fun of him!" Al hissed.

Roy didn't laugh. In fact, he didn't say anything.

"Oh, leave him Al. Look at him, he's still _whole_." The note of strain in Ed's voice seemed so obvious, the humour so forced. Still, Roy said nothing. "And you can probably put him down, now."

"You should still be thanking him!" Al muttered back, even as he carefully set Roy back on his own feet. "You okay, Colonel?"

"Uh, yeah. I—" He blinked, legs shaking slightly as the truth ate at him. This couldn't...it couldn't be. Take his arm. Take his leg. Not this. Anything but this.

"I'm blind." He hadn't really meant to say that, at least not out loud, but it seemed like his mouth and brain had different ideas. "That's—it took my sight." And try as he might, he could not fully hide how his breath hitched.

Both boys fell silent, even the sounds of footsteps dying as they stopped dead in their tracks. Finally, Ed forced a laugh.

"Come on, Colonel, that's not—it's not funny."

"Ed," Al said softly, "I don't think he's joking." The guilt in Al's voice was painfully clear, stabbing another knife through Roy's already aching heart.

"Well, I guess it's better than bleeding out," Roy finally said. _It's not better. It's not better. It's not better._

"Colonel, look," Ed finally said. "I-I told you not to. You should have let me—!"

"No, Edward. I made my choice, and I will not let you regret it. Either of you. I'm...I'm the one who dragged you two into this."

 _Think they'll take a blind Führer, Roy?_

"Oh, shut it bastard," Ed said weakly, voice shaking. "You—you can be upset too, you know? Sometimes you just gotta..."

"You're not one to talk there, Fullmetal," Roy forced out, trying to smirk. Trying, but failing.

"Colonel..." Al sounded so guilty. So harrowed. It wasn't right.

"Don't, Al. I knew the risks. I did it because I wanted to, so don't beat yourself up. Your life is worth far more than my eyesight," Roy said firmly. This time, his smile was a touch genuine. "I would make the same decision again." Every time.

"...thank you, Colonel. Really," Al said softly.

"Y-yeah, same here," Ed finally said. "Thanks, Mustang. We...we really owe you one."

"Pay me back by fulfilling your goals. Both of you. The only reward I ask is to see you both in fully in the flesh."

Neither replied, and it took Roy a moment to process the awkward silence. When he did, however, he snorted a laugh. "Fine. Feel. Hear. Preferably _not_ smell. Just get your bodies back, boys."

Al found his voice first. "Right, Colonel. We promise."

"Good, then that's all that matters. Now, let's get back to the hotel."

"Shouldn't we go to the hospital?" Al asked.

Roy shook his head. "No, there's—" Not much point. Too much risk. "I'll see someone in Central. An old friend."

"You dumbass," Ed hissed, and then the sound of leather scuffing on cement returned. "Well, you two coming?"

"Brother—Ed." The footsteps stopped. "I think...Colonel Mustang might..."

Need help. Roy barely held back a derisive snort. Barely. With some reluctance, he shrugged. "Just don't walk me into anything, Fullmetal."

"No promises, Mustang. Who knows, a few black eyes might improve your looks."

"I honestly have no idea where to start with that, Fullmetal. Exactly how many eyes do you think I have?"

"You do bug me an awful lot—how many eyes do bugs have?"

"At least I'm not the size of one."

"Oh hahah, so funny. Bastard."

Somehow, the teasing didn't feel genuine this time.

* * *

Roy stared at the ceiling—sort of. He had absolutely no way of knowing what the time was, or if the lights were on, or what colour said ceiling was, or...or _anything_ , really, that required visual cues. So, he took stock of what he did know.

First, he was alone. That feature stood out above all others. The boys had gone out to run a few errands, at Roy's request. Roy had had a final meeting that day, but in his current state, he was utterly incapable of attending without giving away the game. So, with surprisingly little cajoling, Edward had agreed to attend in his place. While they were out, Roy had requested that they also pick up a few items for him, including sunglasses—he silently prayed that Al would get the final say in _which_ sunglasses, exactly—and something to eat.

Second, the bed was surprisingly comfortable, considering Roy had not exactly splurged on the hotel room. He was painfully tempted to simply...slip off to sleep, but right now, he really needed to stay awake. Stay awake and plan.

Third, he needed to call Hawkeye. He...did not know how he was going to break this to her, but he needed to ensure that she could work out how to get him some leave without the brass discovering the reason why. To that end, he would need some trusted friends to meet them at the station in Central, so they could smuggle him away with none the wiser. To that end, number one needed to be remedied, because no way could Roy dial like this.

Fourth, while his eyes did, in fact, not work for seeing, they were not completely useless.

Fifth, his face was wet.

Sixth, he _did not regret his choice_.

Reaching up, he pressed a palm to his forehead and groaned. What a royal mess this had all become, and he really only had himself to blame. Who else _could_ he blame? He had arranged all of this, and even invited Al along. If Alphonse had simply stayed at the hotel, he and Edward could have investigated the basement and been on their way, no one the wiser. As it was, the only thing that useless lead had led them to was a lab that was attempting to grow replacement human organs using animals. So what if they did some extra experimentation along the way? Trying to find a combination of animals with a homeostatic makeup similar to a human, to grow the organs in, was hardly a _crime_.

It wasn't even something that he needed to shut down— _they_ were the bad guys, here. It was so frustrating.

Finally, the sound of scrapping at the door drew his attention. Hastily wiping his eyes on his uniform sleeve, Roy sat up straight, waiting.

"Yo, Colonel Bastard! Have fun lazing around while me'n'Al do all the work?" Edward barked, slamming the door opened and storming into the room.

"Sorry, Sir. We really didn't mind..."

"Oh? Feeling _short_ on energy this morning, Fullmetal?" Roy asked, forcing a smirk.

Instead of the expected rant, Roy was hit full-on in the face some sort of cloth. "Don't call me short!"

"Brother! Don't do that! You know he can't—"

Dodge. See. See to dodge. Roy wanted to roll his eyes, but instead settled for snatching the cloth and yanking. He was rewarded when he felt a weight hit the bed. Smoothly, he reclined, propping his legs up on Ed's prostrate form.

"Don't underestimate me, Fullmetal."

The kid grunted as he freed himself. "Yeah, yeah. Your feet stink, by the way."

"Is that the best you can come up with?" Roy taunted. "Why—"

"I have dinner."

Al's simple announcement ended the argument right there. In a clatter of metal and flesh, Edward raced off to his brother. Given that neither of them had eaten much since the party the night before, Roy could hardly blame him. His own stomach rumbled at the mention of food.

"I'll get you yours, Colonel," Alphonse offered.

Roy could hardly bring himself to refuse, so he simply smiled weakly. "Thank you, Alphonse. You're much easier to get along with than your midget brother."

"Watch who you're calling midget, flame-head."

"Does that make you a metal head?" Roy retorted.

Al sighed. "Can you two stop fighting? Please? I need...I need to..."

Silence fell for a long moment, until Ed finally broke it. "Go ahead, Al."

"I just," Al began, pausing, then starting again. "I need to thank you, Colonel. R-really. You saved my life, and you saved my brother, too. We owe you a debt we can never repay, but...but we want to try. Brother and I agreed that, when we find the Stone, we're going to fix your eyes, too. It's the least we can do."

Roy found himself unable to react for a few moments. In all honesty, he realised, the offer should not surprise him. It was completely and utterly like them to find a way to work repaying him into their own goals. On the other hand, the idea that they would go to such lengths—that _Edward_ was willing to go to such lengths—just for him? It boggled the mind. And was deeply, deeply touching. Uncomfortably so, in fact. It was his duty to watch out for them, but it wasn't supposed to work both ways. In fact, Roy would almost prefer it didn't, because...because they were safer at a distance. He wanted to scold them. He wanted to thank them.

In the end, all that came out was a jibing, "Aw, I didn't know you cared, Fullmetal."

From across the room, Edward scoffed. "Oh, screw you, Mustang. And Al, I told you to leave me out of this! Damn bastard's gonna get the wrong idea..."

Roy couldn't help the urge to smile. "Still right here, Ed. And here I thought I was the only one who went blind."

Ed scoffed. "Why couldn't you have lost your voice, instead..."

"Then how would I crack short jokes at my favourite shrimp?"

Roy probably should have foreseen the book that conked him square in the forehead.

* * *

"Colonel, I...you shouldn't..."

There was a strain to Alphonse's voice that drew Roy up short. The hissed, " _Al_ ," from Ed _really_ drew him to stop.

Cautiously, he lowered the sunglasses he was holding. The sunglasses Edward had given him earlier. "Is there something you need to tell me, Fullmetal?" he asked, voice carefully flat.

"Nothing." Ed really was a terrible liar. "Let's just go. We don't wanna miss the train helping your sorry ass to the station."

Roy frowned, running his fingers carefully over the glasses. Now that he was really paying attention, something definitely felt off about them. Oh, they were glasses, but...

"Alphonse."

"Y-yes, Colonel?"

"Can you kindly describe the sunglasses I'm holding to me?" Roy asked, a warning note to his tone.

Silence, and then, "They're—sorry, Brother—they're really ugly, Colonel. I think, uh...tacky? You know, that thing he does..."

The hesitant explanation took Roy a moment to sift through. That thing Ed did? What did Al mea— _oh_.

"Alphonse, did your brother transmute these?"

"Yes, Colonel."

Roy wasn't certain weather to be sort of touched by that fact, or annoyed. Because Edward's sense of style was absolutely _atrocious_. Even Al was warning him.

"Thank you, Al. Why don't you...fix them up," he said, offering the glasses in Al's general direction.

"Hey! I worked hard on those!" An offended Edward exclaimed.

"I'm sure you did," Roy muttered, feeling Al take the sunglasses from him. "Now we'll let Al make them presentable."

"Ungrateful bastard," Ed muttered. Roy chose to ignore him.

The sound of a transmutation alerted Roy when the new product was done, as did Edward's exclamation of, "Al, that's _not_ better!"

"At least it doesn't have any tongues on it!"

"It's pink!"

"Salmon!"

"And it has flowers on it!"

"I like flowers! Mom always liked when we brought them home."

"You know what, Al? You're right. They suit Colonel Bastard perfectly."

Roy cringed. They wanted to end him, didn't they?

Roy didn't have the nerve to ask what the sunglasses he ultimately put on looked like. Sometimes, ignorance really was bliss.

* * *

Roy spent the train ride hiding in their car, reluctantly allowing the brothers to fetch his meals and generally take care of anything that needed to be done. As much as Roy hated hiding, for the moment it was necessary. Edward certainly repaid him by ensuring that he knew exactly how much of a burden he was at every waking moment. Logically, he knew the kid didn't mean it...but sometimes, it still stung. He bore it in silence, however, allowing the soothing sound of Al's voice to remind him how worthwhile the whole thing had been.

Their train got them in late, luckily, making it easy to slip away to the car that Hawkeye and Havoc had waiting for them. For the first several minutes, nobody said anything; the silence was stifling in its completeness. For his part, Roy just didn't know what to say, at least...not in front of the boys. Nothing he could say wouldn't make it sound like he was somehow blaming them, and that was the last thing he wanted.

His subordinates likely sensed that, holding their tongues as one of them, probably Hawkeye, drove. Finally, Havoc broke the silence, "You boys want to be dropped at the dorms?"

"No way. Someone needs to take care of colonel walks-into-walls. We're going to his place."

Roy had no words. None at all.

"Uh, you sure about that, Chief?" Havoc's voice was laden with confusion and uncertainty that mirrored Roy's perfectly.

"Yeah. He needs a babysitter."

"Fullmetal—" Roy warned, finding his voice.

"It's okay, boys," Hawkeye cut in. "We'll take care of anything he needs."

"I don't think I need that much," Roy grumbled.

"Leave it to us, okay?" Riza continued, still ignoring Roy's efforts to cut in.

"Yeah, but..." Edward muttered, his voice taking on a sullen note.

"We got this, Chief," Havoc assured. "You two just rest up. I'm sure you'll have another lead soon."

"R-right," Al's voice said softly from behind Roy's seat.

Edward didn't say a word.

* * *

"...that's horrible. Those poor boys." Feury said softly, the remorse clear in his voice. He had been the first to break the awkward silence following the end of Roy's tale.

After dropping the boys off at the dorms, Hawkeye had taken them to Roy's private residence, where they had met up with the rest of his team. Currently, Roy was seated in his living as he shared the details of what had occurred in West City with the rest of the team.

"Some people just get all the worst luck," Breda grumbled. "It's not fair."

No, it wasn't. Not at all.

"I believe we can all agree on that," Hawkeye said softly, "but complaining does nothing to solve our current problem."

"Right," Falman said. "As long as Roy is blind, he's won't be considered fit for active duty, which means..."

"They'll revoke my licensing and my office," Roy supplied flatly. "So what do we do about that?"

"I've already put in for you to take some time off, sir," Hawkeye said. "You have plenty of vacation time saved up, and I should hear back in the next day or two about whether the request was accepted. Providing it is, we can ship you off for a few weeks, perhaps a month at best—"

"And then we're right back here," Roy supplied. "I don't think running from this is going to help."

"No, but it gives us time to work out how to deal with other issues," Hawkeye said.

"You mean like what to do about Ed and Al," Feury concluded.

Roy grimaced at that. It was the issue on everyone's mind. Roy was going to lose his position, there was no way around that, and he had accepted it. His team were adults. They could go and reform elsewhere; they could and would carry on his goals like the hardened soldiers they were.

But Ed...

"As long as I'm Edward's superior officer, I can protect him—them. But they can reassign him to anyone once I'm out of the picture." And that person could get them hurt, even killed. Or worse. "We have to make Edward resign."

His staff all jumped in on top of one another, telling him exactly what he already knew: Edward would never see reason; would never agree. Roy had already known that, but he couldn't see another way out.

"There may be another way, sir." Hawkeye's voice brought silence to the room, leaving her free to speak. "I spoke with Lieutenant Hughes about the matter earlier. He had a suggestion that I believe is worth considering."

"Go on," Roy said.

"The biggest issue currently facing us is the matter of Edward's guardianship. As he and Alphonse are legally wards of the State, Edward's wellbeing falls wholly in the lap of his commanding officer. If we were to...change that fact. Like a new guardian..."

"You want someone to adopt Ed and Al?" Breda asked, clearly as surprised as Roy was currently feeling."

"That's right," she said. "Lieutenant Hughes said he would do it, if it came to that, however..."

Roy found himself fidgeting slightly as silence fell. He couldn't _see_ anything, but it felt like...like...

"Go on, Lieutenant."

"However, he thought it would be best if someone else took on that role, particularly someone not in the military."

"You mean me," Roy said flatly. "My answer is no. If Hughes wants to adopt them, let him deal with it. I'm sure Elicia will be thrilled."

"Very well. I will let him know your verdict, Sir."

Roy was going to pretend he didn't hear the disappointment in her tone.

"Good luck getting Ed to agree. I think I'll stay away from that conversation."

"Right," Havoc grumbled, "try not to be too helpful here, Mustang."

"Very well. We can use Roy's vacation to get the paperwork done up. I'll call Ed and Al to the office tomorrow to discuss this with them."

"Fine," Roy said flatly. "You're all dismissed. Hawkeye, did you manage to get in touch with that man whose address I gave you...?"

* * *

 _Guess this will be three parts, not two. What a pity (not) that is. I'm such a sucker for Papa!Roy._


	3. Chapter 3

"Mustang!"

Roy _jumped_ , cracking his knee off his table. Cursing, he snatched at his pockets, reaching for his gloves—and sat back down at the sound of familiar clanking.

"Fullmetal."

"What the hell did you tell them? Hughes said—!"

"Brother!" an exasperated Alphonse said, sounding both annoyed and tired. "Be nice."

"Be nice? Al, you heard what Hughes said! He—he wants—!"

Roy could feel a headache forming, and they hadn't even been here for five minutes. Speaking of, what were the Elrics doing here, anyway? Good grief, how had they even _found_ his house? Actually, he didn't want to know.

"Are you going to stammer and stutter, or tell me why you're here?" Roy asked. He was tired. He was frustrated. He was trying to work out what to do, and here the subjects of his frustration—and worry—were barging into his kitchen uninvited.

A chair scraped, and Roy swore he could hear the wood creak as Al clanked into the seat.

"We're so sorry to bother you, Colonel, it's just..." Al trailed off awkwardly.

Roy took a sip of his coffee, waiting. Was a peaceful breakfast too much to ask for?

"Major Hughes says you want to—ugh," Edward griped, groaning aloud.

"Someone is going to have to tell me," Roy said flatly. "Or is your memory just as short as you, Fullmetal?"

He could all but hear Edward fuming. "Mustang..."

He turned to the direction he had last heard Alphonse's voice. "Can you shed some light on the situation?" he asked, lifting his mug again.

"...Major Hughes said you want to adopt us."

Roy spit the coffee out. Slamming his mug down, he stood, fuming. "Is he here?"

"N-no," Al said, voice small. "We came on our own. We're sorry, Colonel..."

Roy felt his anger deflate. Dropping back into his seat, he sighed. "No, I'm sorry, boys. I'm just," volatile, frustrated, uncomfortable, "tired. It was a late night." It had been, too. He didn't know exactly what time it was now, but he thought he had only managed a few hours of sleep. To top it off, his toast was terrible, burnt on one side, and only half the other side toasted. Learning to use a kitchen blind was up there with learning his flame alchemy.

Taking a deep breath, he leaned back. "What did Hughes tell you?"

Edward mumbled something, and Roy sighed. "Speak up, Edward."

"I said, what the hell? Is it true?"

"No, Edward. At least, not exactly," he amended hurriedly.

"Mustang...!"

"Just listen, Fullmetal," he said with a sigh.

"Fine, then get talking."

Roy opted to let his subordinate's insubordination go. For now. Edward was, understandably, upset. Roy was a bit upset himself, for that matter. Just what was Hughes playing at?

"Hughes and Hawkeye believe..." He trailed off. No, that wasn't entirely true, was it? "...we're all," he corrected, "worried about what this means for you boys."

"What do you mean?" Al's voice rang out softly.

"I'm blind," he said, jaw tense. Shit. "When this gets out, I'm going to lose my certification. There's no getting around that."

"Mustang..." Roy didn't let himself dwell on the hint of pity in Edward's voice. "They can't just...throw you out."

"They can, and they will," Roy said flatly. "Don't delude yourselves otherwise."

"But...what about your goals?" Al asked softly.

"Don't worry about that," Roy said. "We'll work something out. Our biggest issue is you two boys." Edward, more specifically.

"What does that have to do with us?" Ed griped. "So you get canned. We can keep going."

"No, Edward, you can't," Roy snapped. "It's not that simple."

"I don't see why not! This doesn't need to affect us. We...we have to find a way, Mustang. To fix our bodies." Edward scoffed. "Even yours."

"Because, Ed, this is the military! I've done—do you have any idea what I've done, to keep you as far from the front lines as possible?" He sighed, reaching up to pinch his nose. "I can't let you stay in the military without me, Ed, because I don't know what they'll do to you boys."

"What, like you're some patron saint, come along to watch over us? Well, we don't need it! Me'n'Al are fine on our own!"

"No, you aren't!" he yelled back, slamming a palm down on the table. His mug rattled, splashing a few drops of hot coffee onto his hand, but he didn't even flinch. "You're just kids, Fullmetal! Kids that we can't let run around under some other Colonel, who could get you killed." Or worse. "I can't let that happen, Edward. I won't let anyone put you through what we went through in Ishval."

"Just try and stop us, Mustang. We're fine on our own!"

"No, you aren't!" He stood, scowling. Why wouldn't Ed just _see_ what he was saying? "If something were to happen to you—either of you—I'd have to burn whoever let that happen, and I'm not in the market for treason today."

"Careful, Colonel, I might start thinking you care," Ed said awkwardly. At least he wasn't yelling anymore.

"Brother!"

Roy slumped back into his chair with a sigh. "I do care, Edward. Don't you get that?"

"So much that you want to _adopt_ us?" Edward snapped.

"No, Edward, that wasn't my idea. And for the record, I said no."

"Good—"

"But if you want to stay in the military, someone has to."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"You need a legal guardian, Fullmetal. Right now, that's _me_. When I'm discharged, guess who that's going to fall on?"

This time, Ed remained silent.

"Whoever takes over as your commanding officer. That is, unless we can find you another legal guardian. I suggested Hughes."

"What makes you think we'll agree?" Ed snapped.

"Because if you don't, Edward, I'm going to discharge you right now. I don't care what I have to do."

"You wouldn't...!"

"Edward!" He slammed both palms down. Hard. "I will! Fuck, Edward, I've seen enough dead kids! Don't make me bury you!"

That, at least, seemed to give his pause. After a moment of silence, Al sighed. "Colonel, can I...talk to my brother?"

"Don't bother, Al," Edward hissed. "He's made up his mind. We can't change it."

"Brother! He's doing this because he cares about us! Don't you get that?"

"Oh, lay off, Al! We don't need him!"

"Yes, we do! He saved us both, Brother! I would have died without him!"

"I know that, Al! But that doesn't give him the right to run my life!"

"Can't you at least consider what he's saying! He wants Mister Hughes to adopt us so you can stay in the military safely! He isn't...he's not ruining our lives. He's trying to help us."

"He wants to keep a handhold on me, Al!"

"To protect you! Besides, how is Hughes adopting us the same as the Colonel keeping a hold on you?"

"I don't know—it just is, Al! We can take care of ourselves."

"...we can," Al said softly, "but...do we really have to? I'm...I'm tired, Brother. Can't we trust anyone?"

There was no comment for a long time after that, and Roy left the boys to sort things out in that silent way of theirs. After several minutes, Ed sighed. Loudly.

"Why, Mustang? Why did you do it—why are you doing all of this?"

Roy frowned, leaning back in his chair. "If you can't figure that out, Edward. You really are just a dumb kid."

For once, Ed didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he sighed. "Seriously? This is so...weird."

"Tell me about it," Roy agreed. Listen, I can't force you to agree, but at least talk to Hughes—"

"No," Ed muttered.

Roy sighed. "Why not?"

"...Hughes has his wife—shit, I can't believe I'm saying this—he has a family. You...who do you have? You're blind and useless. You need us more."

It took a moment for Roy to sort through that jumble. Then he frowned. "No, Ed, I'm not—"

"If we have to do this, so do you. You wanna babysit us, I'm gonna babysit you back."

"I never agreed—"

"Neither did we, Bastard, but if you want us to do this, then you're doin' it with us."

Roy closed his useless eyes. How on earth had it come to this?

"...fine."

"..well, good then. Al?"

"Uh...right. What...do we do?"

Roy shook his head. He had no sweet clue.

* * *

"Well, it seems that things went over well, then."

Hawkeye's words were probably meant to be optimistic, but they sent Roy's heart into his throat. He pressed the telephone receiver firmly into his ear and scowled. "Well? Explain to me how this is _well_."

"Edward agreed," she said, voice crackling over the line, "without rearranging your face. I believe that is the definition of _well_ , in this circumstance."

"He practically conned me—"

"Sir, is this not the outcome we wanted?"

Roy grunted. "You wanted, maybe. I bet Hughes is over the moon, too," he muttered.

"Of course, Sir." He didn't need to see her face to know The Look she would be giving him. It was the one that perfectly went with the dryness of her tone. The one that—the one that he would never see again. See her grow old. See—

He cut himself off abruptly. Focus. Dwelling would no good.

"So, what do I have to do?"

"Paperwork. Hughes is going to come and help you with it this afternoon," she said clinically. "We may need to come clean about your...situation sooner than later. I don't believe the State will allow this as long as you remain a single man in the military." A permanently blind, single man. They'd gotten the tests done, and Doctor Knox had said so himself: there was no fixing this.

"Right. But what if the whole thing gets refused anyway?"

"We'll have Hughes as back up, just in case—"

"Shouldn't we start with him? He's the one with a family."

"This is what Edward wanted," she reminded.

"I know that," he muttered. He still couldn't _believe_ it, though. "But I'm not exactly known for being a family man."

"...for what it's worth, Sir, I believe you do a great job with the Elrics."

He snorted lightly. "Of course, Lieutenant." Really, what did he have to offer children? Even the Elric brothers? No other kids, not even a wife...

A wife. That was almost laughable. He was a military man renowned for being ambitious to the point of being cold, and an infamous playboy. It was an image he'd crafted oh-so carefully, he has no desire to...to...

To what? Drop the image? Why not? Where he was going, there weren't going to be anymore rules to stop him.

"Sir? Are you still there?"

He sighed softly. Of course.

"Yes, Lieutenant. Riza." He waited a beat. She said nothing. "Would you care to join me for dinner tonight?"

"Sir? Is...are you asking me on a date?" Trust to her to get right to the point.

"Yes." He waited, grip tightening on the phone.

"...very well. I will pick you up at seven."

"Wait, don't I pick you up?"

"With all due respect, Colonel Mustang—Roy—I wouldn't trust you to drive a bicycle."

Ouch.

"I can have Havoc drive."

"Roy." There was her no-nonsense tone.

"...very well. I'll see you at seven."

"See you at seven."

* * *

Roy had a headache. They'd barely made a start on the paperwork for adopting the Elrics, and he'd already dealt with a very overexcited Hughes, a very _angry_ Pinako Rockbell, who was backed by an equally angry Winry Rockbell, confused military officials, and smug subordinates. And all of that paled utterly and _magnificently_ when compared to the juggernaut currently dropping his sparse belongings into Roy's living room.

"Mustang."

"Fullmetal."

"Colonel."

"Alphonse."

"Sorry to barge in like this, Sir, Brother—"

"I am well aware of your brother's tendency towards doing exactly what it is everyone doesn't want him doing," Roy said flatly, cutting Alphonse off. "What I would like to know is what you two are doing here. In my house. Uninvited." Again.

"Since we're gonna be family, I figured we should live together," Edward announced. Loudly. "Me'n'Al talked it over, and we figured someone should be babysitting you."

Was this going to be his life from now on—providing he actually went through with it, of course?

"So, where's our room?"

Gods help him.

"Al can have the guest room. You should be comfortable in the garage, Fullmetal. Or if that doesn't suit you, you could always transmute yourself a doghouse in the backyard."

"Mustang!"

"Well, you are about the size of one. A dog, I mean." He wished he could see the annoyance on Edward's face. As it was, he could all but taste his anger...

"Colonel, please. And you too, Brother. Can't you just get along?"

Lectured by a child, seriously? Roy frowned. "Fine, but tell me what you two are doing here."

"I told you, we came to babysit!"

"I hardly need to be babysat, particularly not by a child the size of a baby."

"Colonel!" Al jumped in, before even Edward could react. "We came because Brother—"

"Al, don't you dare!"

"Because Brother was worried you might need help," Alphonse said, ignoring his brother's threat. "We both...owe you a lot, and we want to try to help. However we can."

Well, he was an ass, wasn't he? Roy sighed. "Okay, okay. You win, boys. But I swear, if even one thing in this house catches fire—"

"Like you're one to talk," Edward said with a snort. " _We're_ i/here to make sure _you_ don't burn your own house down.

Alphonse sighed. Roy knew the younger boy was annoyed with them, but, frankly, he didn't care. Teasing Ed was way too enjoyable.

And, somehow, he was pretty sure Fullmetal felt the same.

"Picture time!"

Roy groaned at Hughes' announcement, not moving from his spot on the sofa. "That's really not necessary."

"Oh, yes it is! It's your first day as a real family! Now, boys, squeeze in close, and Roy? Smile."

Roy sighed again, loudly, but humoured him anyway as he felt the boys aggressively try to fit on the small couch with him. Ed was mumbling under his breath, but Al, at least, was silent.

By some miracle, they'd actually pulled this off. Roy and his men had fed the top brass a story about how Roy had been injured by an explosion while helping the brothers. That, coupled with a few forged documents from his personal physician—Doctor Knox working under an alias—had netted Roy an honourable discharge, with pay.

So here they were, about to start a life of pretending to be a family. Or, who knew, maybe, by some miracle, _actually_ being one. Either way, Roy was prepared to fight tooth and nail to keep Edward safe, as were his men. They didn't all know where they were going to end up, or how they were going to keep their dreams alive...but they were going to try, damn it.

He believed in each and every one of them.

"Say cheese!"

As the flash popped on the camera, Roy smirked. They'd had a setback, they'd had setbacks before, but he truly believed that all it had done was push them closer than ever.

 _Watch out, Bradley. I'm not finished with you, yet._

 **EPILOGUE**

"Grandpa!"

Roy grinned and bent over, scooping his granddaughter up and balancing her on his hip. "Did you miss me?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I missed you lots'n'lots!"

"Well I missed _you_ lots and lots, Trishy," he said, giving her a squeeze, then setting her down. "Help your old grandpa up the steps now, okay?"

"Okay!" Taking his hand, she tugged him forward, and Roy groped for the handrail. Catching it, he started up the stairs.

Partway up, the door banged open, and the familiar thump- **thunk** of Ed's uneven footsteps greeted him.

"Hey! Führer Mustang! It's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Edward," Riza said from behind Roy.

"You too, old man," Ed said.

"I'm not old," Roy grumbled.

"Really? I see greys."

Roy tensed. "Riza..."

"Oh Edward, stop teasing him, or else he really will go grey," she scolded.

Edward sighed loudly. "Yeah, yeah. Come on in. Winry and Al are making supper. Trish, go find your brother."

"Okay, daddy!" she yelled, little feet already stomping away.

"So, everyone's here?" Roy asked, finding his way to the table and sinking into a chair.

"Not yet," Ed said, dropping noisily into a nearby chair. "Ling and Lan Fan haven't arrived yet."

"I didn't know they were coming," Riza said, taking a seat herself.

"Oh, yeah. Ling was really dramatic about not wanting to miss out on my apple pie," Winry's voice said from the doorway.

"Can you blame him?" Al asked, joining them as well.

A moment later, a crash sounded, then Roy was being barrelled into by a boy who had definitely weighed a lot less the last time Roy had come to Resembool.

"Grandpa!"

"It's good to see you too, Yuri," he said, hugging him back.

"You keeping him in line, grandma?"

Riza chuckled. "Of course. Where's your Aunt Mei?"

"Outside chopping firewood. She doesn't like Uncle Al doing it. Says it ruins his pretty face."

Edward snorted. "Nice, Al."

"Oh hahah, Brother. Did you tell him to say that?"

"What? No way! I would never—"

Roy smiled to himself, leaning back in his chair. So, things hadn't gone exactly as planned. What was the big deal? Because, in the end—

 _They'd gone better_.

* * *

I _am so sorry for how long this took. I was really stuck on that first scene for...well, nearly a year. In the end, I just let Ed and Roy fight it out, and voila. Here we are._

 _I hope everyone enjoyed the story. It wound up being a bit longer than I'd intended originally-but a lot shorter than it coulda been. If anyone wants to take on writing the middle portion, well...hit me up. I'd be thrilled. ;) I'd do it myself, but I just don't have time._

 _I hope everyone liked it, and that it was worth the wait. Let me know what you think!_


End file.
